1. Field of the Invention
The invention refers to a vehicle door latch containing a locking mechanism comprising mainly a catch and pawl and a locking pin, moving into an inlet opening and interacting with the catch, with the inlet opening containing at least one soundproofing element for the locking pin.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle door latch of the type described above is disclosed in EP 0 336 034 A2 or WO 95/10679 A1. In the reference system of the vehicle door latch, the soundproofing element ensures that the locking pin, moving into the inlet opening and then held by the catch in its primary position, is fixed in this position with a minimum of noise. In general, a relative movement is carried out between the locking pin and the inlet opening, with the locking pin usually being fixed to the vehicle body, whilst on the other hand a vehicle door and with it the respective vehicle door latch are moved.
Apart from the described noise reduction of the soundproofing element, this component ensures that a respective vehicle door can be closed with excess stroke, so that the pawl engages correctly into the primary position of the catch. Such soundproofing elements have a proven record and are frequently used in practical applications.
We also refer to EP 1 136 640 A1, providing, however, no soundproofing element in the inlet opening for the locking pin, but instead three individual rubber buffers assigned to the catch.
A locking mechanism can, for instance, be electrically opened, by the pawl being lifted by a motor or another means, so that the catch is released and carries out a spring-driven rotation movement around its axis. In order to limit this rotation movement, separate stops can be provided inside the latch housing.